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For six years, the Internet Nexus served as my technology blog, but I've since started blogging at the SuperSite Blog instead. If you're looking for the blog, please head there. --Paul

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Mighty Mouse first impressions

I'm not sure why I didn't get an Apple Mighty Mouse the day they were released; I guess I just didn't see a need for yet another scroll wheel mouse. But I began noticing this week that the old Microsoft IntelliMouse Optical mouse that I was using was flaking out with both my PowerBook and an IBM ThinkPad. So I ordered Apple's latest and greatest.

It's OK. The mouse itself is a bit small for my large hands, which would lead to carpal tunnel issues if I used the PowerBook more often (I use a large Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer 4.0 mouse daily on the PC and recommend it for this reason). Apple, as usual goes with style over functionality. That's fine.

Though this is not clearly spelled out anywhere, you need to install software from a CD before the Mighty Mouse's unique functionality will work. Then you have to reboot, which is disconcerting. (But not unusual. I just rebooted the PowerBook yesterday thanks to Apple's humongous new security patch).

Oddly, after you reboot and plug in the mouse, it functions only as a single button mouse. You have to know to go into System Preferences/Keyboard & Mouse to enable the right-click functionality (which Apple calls the Secondary Button). Apple's technically savvy users should have little problem with that requirement.

In my experience so far, the primary and second buttons on the Mighty Mouse work just fine. I had read in a few places that the design of the Mighty Mouse caused errant primary clicks when a secondary click was attempted, but I've seen none of that. The scroll nubbin (which some people call the scroll pea or scroll nipple, heh) is way, way too small. Let me say that again: It's WAY too small. This is an area where the style over functionality thing really gets in the way. Yeah, I get that I have big hands, but come on. Just as the original iMac's "hockey puck" mouse was a poor excuse for a pointing device, the Mighty Mouse's nubbin is a sad excuse for a scroll wheel. I do like the vaguely mechanical sound it makes when you roll it, however.

The side buttons, which triggers Exposé by default--are hard to click. You have to actually push both of them simultaneously, which is really odd, and they don't provide any tactile feedback at all. I had hoped that I could map those buttons, separately, to "Back" and "Forward" for Safari, respectively, but that won't work because they're really just one big button. And I don't use or care for Exposé.

At $49, the Mighty Mouse is too expensive--$30 seems about right--but that won't deter Apple fans from snapping them for the first 30 days of availability, of course. With Apple, you just gotta have the latest and greatest. I would like to see Apple start bundling this mouse with its PCs and get rid of that ancient one button thing they've been foisting on users for several years.

If I was going to rate the Mighty Mouse, I'd give it 3 stars out of 5. Not horrible, and not great, but pretty good overall.

[ Posted at 3:03 PM | Permalink ]